Candy Striper
by blahblahpalooza
Summary: Santana is heartbroken from Brittany and is trying to move on. She volunteers as a candy striper at the local hospital and runs into the annoying Rachel Berry. But why is Rachel a patient at the hospital?
1. Chapter 1

This story takes place when Brittany an Artie we're together. And I haven't decided if Finn and Rachel will be together in the beginning or not. But it will be Pezberry. Anyway, let me know if it's worth continuing and thanks for reading!

* * *

Santana Lopez never denied that she was a bitch. She was real with people and unfortunately for them, the truth sucked. Why should she have to filter herself to make others happy? Still though, she liked to believe that she had some redeemable qualities. Like the fact that she was a candy-stripper for the local hospital. Ok, yeah, she had used this to give the queen bee and Finnept mono, which was admittedly kind of shitty. But they kind of deserved it. Quinn was cheating on Sam, and Finn was just kind of an asshole.

Anyway, she actually kind of dug the whole candy-striper thing. Giving back and all that shit; it was good for the soul. She had just gotten so tired of feeling sorry for herself over the whole Brittany thing. The blonde had chosen Artie and there wasn't anything she could do about it. You can't make someone love you like you love them and it's really not fair to hate them for it. So until she could get over that pain, she was dependent on distractions. She used Cheerios, glee, the hospital, school, running, and anything else that kept her mind occupied to help her. She couldn't really look for a rebound person to date. Lima wasn't chock full of lesbians to choose from. And even if it were, she wasn't really ready for all that anyway.

So for now she would just continue what she was doing and hopefully she would eventually forget the things that she needed distracted from. "Yo, Mr. Johnson, you ready for the brightest part of your day?" Santana was walking into the hospital room of an elderly man, who was hooked up to oxygen tank that he could roll around behind him when he walked.

Mr. Johnson wheezed out a laugh. "You're favorite maybe. My favorite parts of the day are breakfast and when Jeopardy comes on."

Santana mimed stabbing a knife into her heart. "Ooh Mr. J, breaking my heart. And here I thought you liked spending time with me."

"It's not the worst part of my day."

"Such a sweetheart," the Latina deadpanned. "Well it's not the worst part of my day either. But that's because I stepped in dog shit earlier, so don't flatter yourself."

The older man wheezed out another laugh, before the two left for their afternoon walk through the grounds outside.

Santana's time at the hospital was spent mostly like this. She would spend time with older people, who never got visitors. And sometimes read or sing with the children who we're staying in the hospital. It wasn't life-saving work, but she liked to think it at least brightened someone's day.

"All right, I call the maracas this time." Santana snatched the instruments from a young boy. They we're sitting in a circle, with some of the other children who couldn't leave the hospital. A nurse was in the room, but left them to their devices.

"Hey!"

"Snooze, you lose." Santana shook the maracas in front of him, but pulled back before he could grab them. "Sucka." The other kids laughed while the boy stuck his tongue out at Santana.

"All right, all right. Take your maracas, baby. I gotta get out of here anyway."

"No."

"Not yet."

"One more song!"

"Ha. One more song is how it always starts. You guys are little con artists. You know I'll be back on Wednesday."

Santana was walking through the children's wing, done with her striper duties for the day, when she heard an obnoxiously familiar voice. One Rachel Berry could be heard from a room requesting a specific brand of water because "she was feeling quite parched." Santana snorted. Typical. But then it dawned on her. What the hell was Rachel Berry doing in the hospital?


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, guys thanks for coming back for the 2nd chapter! Also, thank you very much for all the reviews. They're great and really good motivation for me to keep writing. Let me know if you like it!

* * *

Santana followed the unmistakable sound of Rachel Berry's voice to a slightly open hospital room door. She leaned in to shamelessly eavesdrop, but was caught red-handed when a nurse opened the door.

"Santana?" Rachel was surprised to see the Latina. And even more surprised to see her candy-striper uniform. "What are you wearing?" She asked, with a small snort of laughter. Santana frowned. She looked decidedly unintimidating in her striper uniform.

"Cute laugh," the Latina deadpanned.

Rachel just laughed again. "Not as cute as your outfit.

"Yeah, yeah, whatevs Berry. I know jealousy when I see it."

"Rachel, is this a friend of yours?" Santana hadn't noticed the man sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He wore glasses and had a nose almost identical to Rachel's.

"This is Santana, Daddy. From glee. Don't worry, she's harmless." This earned the diva an overly sweet smile from the Latina.

"Oh well then nice to meet you Santana. It's good to see Rachel's friends from glee. She sure talks enough about you guys."

"Oh uh. Nice to meet you too." The Latina doubted that she was one of the people who the diva talked fondly about.

"So you volunteer here?" Rachel was smiling at her. The diva was pleasantly surprised to see the Latina being beneficial to society.

"Here and there," the Latina said. "Probation, actually" she added matter-of-factly. She had an image to maintain. "While were on the topic of what we're doing here, what's your excuse? Is it your voice again?"

"Rachel didn't tell-" The diva's father started to answer but was interrupted by his daughter, who had a stern look on her face.

"It's nothing." She looked away from her dad back to Santana with a tight smile. "Just a check-up." Rachel's dad opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. "And probation?" The diva asked sarcastically. "Really?"

The Latina looked from the diva to her dad with narrowed eyes. Rachel had stopped her dad before he could say something. Their silent communication was shady as fuck. "Just a check-up?"

"Yes, Santana. And if that's all you need…"

Oh well. The diva had probably just wanted to be the one to talk, instead of her dad. She was annoying and controlling like that. "Alright alright Berry, I can take a hint." The Latina took a few steps to the door, but turned back. "I'll see you in glee, right?"

"Yep." Rachel smiled at the other girl. "I'll be there."

* * *

Santana walked into the practice room a few minutes before glee started. Like promised, Rachel was there. And of course she was sitting in the middle seat of the first row. The Latina did a quick scan of her seating options. Britt was being ridiculously cute with Wheels in the corner. Of course. She sighed and moved on. Quinn was with the new boy, whatever his name was. And Puck was talking to Sam and Finn, who was too much of a tool for Santana to put up with. She had just decided on sitting alone in the top row when Rachel made eye contact with her and smiled.

"You can sit with me if you'd like."

"Urgh, front row seats to the vest show? I'll pass." Santana continued up the steps without waiting for a response.

"Ok…" Rachel's tone sounded dejected, causing a slight pang of guilt in the Latina. She didn't want to be too much of an asshole. She just never thought before she spoke. Maybe it was a slight problem sometimes. But she pushed the feeling away and took a seat. And anyway, as soon as Mr. Schue walked in, Finn went to sit with Rachel. The two held hands. How fucking adorable. Now Santana was the only sap sitting alone.

"Alright guys, the theme this week is…"

But the Latina had checked out for the day. Who could take a Spanish teacher who couldn't even speak Spanish seriously anyway? She glanced around the room again. Artie was whispering in Brittany's ear, causing the dancer to giggle. Santana did a mental scoff. Artie wasn't that funny. It was probably a pity laugh.

Quinn was staring at Mr. Schuester with a glass-eyed look. The new boy was trying to hide the fact that he was glancing at the blonde every two seconds. Mike and Tina both just kept looking over at each other at the same time and smiling. Why did everyone have to be so damn cute together? Except Frankenteen and Berry. They were holding hands, but Finn's was swallowing the diva's. He kept trying to get his girlfriend's attention, but she was focusing on Mr. Schue like he had Barbara Streisand hidden behind his back.

"Well that's it for the day guys. Just start working on your numbers."

The Latina looked around in a slight panic. Everybody was packing up their stuff and leaving. She had missed whatever the assignment was. Like anyone would notice if she didn't do it anyway. But still, she actually liked glee assignments.

"Hey, Berry." All the other glee clubbers were already almost out of the room. Rachel looked up in surprise. She had been engrossed in her own plans for the week's assignment. "What was the assignment again? I must have missed that part of the lecture."

The diva snorted. "That was the whole lecture." Santana opened her mouth to retort, but Rachel continued before she could. "It's an easy one. It's just about what your plans for the summer are."

"Alright, I guess can handle that. Know any songs about watching the Notebook and eating Cheetos all day?" Santana asked, with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Can't say that I do."

"Damn."

"Maybe that means you should aim a little higher for the summer."

"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I'm going this way so…" Santana gestured over her soldier as the two stepped out of the practice room.

"Ok, well.. I'll see you later then."

"Yep." Santana turned to leave, but stopped short. "Wait, how was your check-up? Nothing seriously wrong with you? I mean, aside from your overall personality and wardrobe?" The Latina laughed at her own joke.

Rachel did not. "Oh you're hilarious. And no surprises during the hospital visit."

"Ok. Ok, good. Then I'll see you later."

"Goodbye Santana."

* * *

Wednesday came and Santana was back at the hospital. She was spending the majority of her time that day in the children's wing. It was harder on her than she thought it would be, this volunteering thing. Not because she wanted to skip doing the work or helping out, but because she was getting attached to people. And getting attached to people led to pain. Especially when said people we're in a hospital, and well, sick. It hurt the most to see the kids.

Sure, some of them just had broken bones or minor illnesses and would be out in a few days. But some, she knew, were sicker than they looked. And some looked, and we're, very obviously sick. Like Lily, who was the sweetest person ever and she had the brightest green eyes you could imagine, with a matching bandana that covered her lack of hair. But she was so beautiful, inside and out. They all were. And here Santana was, like a fool, falling more in love with them by the day.

They had been practicing this song for the last couple days. They loved it. And they were all so good. Santana, in her normal street clothes, and the kids we're sitting in their usual circle in the usual room. The Latina was holding an acoustic guitar and the others had their random instruments. "Alright you little divas, you ready for this?" What Santana didn't realize was that Rachel Berry was watching from the doorway.

* * *

Rachel Berry just so happened to be in the waiting room when she had heard an acoustic guitar. She decided to find its source out of boredom and her love of all things musical. She knew the song was familiar from the opening notes, but couldn't quite place it. Then, right as she got to the doorway, she heard a very familiar voice start singing. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, or seeing for that matter. Santana Lopez was singing a boy band's song with a group of young children

"You're insecure, don't know what for." The Latina shrugged her shoulders to the girl on her left side. "You're turning heads when you walk through the door." She pointed to an adorable brown haired boy who blushed and turned away, smiling. "Don't need make-up to cover up." Then she put her hand to her ear and the kids sang the last line to her. "Being the way that you are is enough." She waved them away in faux embarrassment. The kids giggled.

After the initial start, Santana focused on strumming her guitar and let the kids do most of the singing. When they got to the chorus, Santana sat her guitar down and stood up. She walked over to a little girl in a green bandana and held her hand out. The girl looked scared to take it but Santana grabbed her hand and pulled her up anyway. She spun the little girl around in a dance move and pointed at her when the kids sang, "you don't know you're beautiful." The Latina looked so carefree and pleasant while she was dancing. She really was gorgeous when she wasn't tearing people down with her comments.

One by one she pulled the kids up and danced with them until they were all standing in a circle for the last line, instead of sitting. "That's what makes you beautiful!" The few nurses that were in the room started clapping enthusiastically. Rachel joined them and that's when Santana noticed her for the first time. She looked kind of confused for a second, but then turned back to the kids.

"Whew, that was good, guys. I mean, I kind of carried the group, but as far as back-up singers go, you're decent."

"Hey!" The kids playfully yelled. They all seemed to really adore her.

"I kid, I kid. You guys didn't even need me for that one. Hollywood here we come." Santana looked back at Rachel and started walking towards the door. "Alright decide on what you want to learn next and I'll be back in a minute."

* * *

Santana walked right passed Rachel and down the hall. Rachel immediately followed her. "Hey, wait a second. That was great, Santana."

"What are you even doing here? I thought you said you were fine." Santana looked annoyed for some reason. She stopped when they got to a side hallway that had a drink machine and put in a dollar for a bottle of water.

"There are a few test results that I have to get back. That's all. So, is this what you usually do when you volunteer here? That was amazing, really."

Santana couldn't help the small smile that formed. "It's all them. They're the talent." Then she looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well it's half and half. I bring a lot of talent and dashing looks to the table."

"Don't forget you're copious amounts of modesty too." But Rachel was smiling rather fondly at the Latina.

"Ooh you're right. That too." Santana was actually smiling a little bit at the diva.

"Seriously though, you're so good with them. You treat them like normal people."

Then the Latina's jaw clenched. "They are normal. And they're my friends."

"No, that's not what I meant-"

Santana wasn't listening. "Just because they got dealt a shitty hand, doesn't make them any less of a per- mmph" Rachel's lips interrupted the start of her rant. Rachel's lips were on hers. Rachel freaking Berry's lips were on hers. She was being kissed by Rachel Berry! And for just one second, all Santana could think about was how soft the other girl's lips were. Then the Latina pulled back in, eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell, Berry?"

Rachel herself looked quite shocked. The diva took a step back, then another. "I'm so sorry."

"Just because I'm a lesbian doesn't mean you can just kiss me to make me not pissed at you. That's not how it works."

"I know! That's not why I did it. I don't know why I did it. And oh god, I have Finn. And I just… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It's just you were being so.." The diva took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to say that those children we're in any way abnormal. I just know.. I just assume that everybody walks around on eggshells to spare their feelings or that people act awkward because they don't know how to talk to a sick person. You don't. You're just your same, kind of bitchy actually, self." Santana chuckled for a second, but stopped at the diva's next words. "But totally sweet though too…" Rachel brought her hand up to her lips, absentmindedly.

"I just…" Santana was staring at the tiles on the ceiling, looking lost. Never in her wildest dreams (or nightmares for that matter. This _was_ Rachel Berry) had she imagined this would happen. She turned to Rachel. "You kissed me," she said in an accusatory tone.

"I did. I'm really sorry."

"Quit apologizing! Was it really that bad of an experience for you?"

"Aw Santana, no. Don't take it that way. I'm with Finn and I just wouldn't want to do something that could hurt him." Rachel reached out to put her hand on the Latina's shoulder in comfort, but Santana took a step back.

"Don't touch me." She didn't want sympathy for a kiss that she didn't even want. Santana stepped forward until her face was a few inches from Rachel's. "I don't need your pity." She spoke through clenched jaws. "I didn't ask for this." She gestured from Rachel to herself. "I'm out of here." With that, she turned and walked away.

Rachel watched wide-eyed as she walked away. When Santana turned the corner, the diva's fingertips went back up to her lips. Then she shook her head back and forth, like she was trying to shake the thoughts out, before walking back to the waiting room.


End file.
